COPS vs. FIREMEN

[...ViCaRiOuS...]

I was at the gym today and I ran into an LAPD officer that I see there all the time. We never really talk but today he came up to me and asked if I was a Fireman. He then asked why so many Fireman walk around off duty wearing fire shirts, why do they have fire stickers all over their cars, why do they have license plates with firemen on them......then he said he HATES LA CITY firemen and they are ******... I told him that where ever people work there are guys that go crazy with all that ****, not just LA. Me personally, I don’t wear anything that is fire related at all. I do support my department and have a sticker on my truck. Anyways he was blowing them up. He was telling me all these crazy stories about them on calls. He use to work for NYPD but couldn’t afford living there on FDNY’s wages, so he moved out here and has been with LAPD for 13 years. He says back there Cops HATE Firemen. He says out here Cops AND Firemen are ***** and the NY guys are there real deal. I told the guy not every firefighter is like LA City guys, and not all cops hate firemen out here either. Is the hate between firemen and cops that much of a big deal? I don’t see it where I work, or at least I think I don’t see it.

[Ash702]

Here is why we wear shirts and put stickers on our cars....WE ARE PROUD OF WHAT WE DO!!! Every morning when I come home, my 7 year old son asks, "Did you have any good calls, Dad?" People that know I am a fireman ask me too and really respect what we do. It is a cool job....no it is a cool LIFE! Why else would there be thousands of applicants for 5 positions in La Verne or San Berdoo?
It also takes a certain type of person to do this job. You gotta be able to detach a little bit. I've seen some stuff that is gonna stay with me FOREVER, and not in a good way. But you gotta be able to deal with it.
Cops are just jealous....Nah, J/K. But it is kinda true. They deal with the same kinda things we do, but generally society gives them a bum wrap. It's like the old saying goes, "You never like a cop till you need one." And that is true. Cops also become really jaded, I think. They look at things differently than Joe Blow on the street. And it is what they have to deal with at work that makes them like that.
What it boils down to is that there are Dicks on Fire and also for PD. But most of us are pretty cool and grateful for what we got.

[hottie4fire]

Sometimes I can under stand the LA cop's point of view. At times, firefighters can come across as very ***** or seem like they are mr. cool guy.
I have experienced this with firefighters under 25 or 26. Most of my firefighter friends that are over that age seem to be over the ego thing of being a firefighter.

As for cops, well you see, they always see the bad in people because that is what thy deal with day in and day out.
The public needs all of us emergency workers, but they don't always show their appreciation until they call 911 and we take care of them.

[FyrmRJ]

Being a Fireman is not just a job, but a way of life for many of us..
I think this is where we differ from our Police Officer counterparts..

Also, if you were an Officer would you put your family at risk while off duty and foil a crime??

I can say I've seen many Fireman stop to help at an accident scene or at one's time of need while off duty..

I think we are just different in nature and that is why we are Fireman..

Last but not least, what do Fireman and Police Officers have in common??
"We all wanted to be Fireman"..

[Johnny on the spot]

HA! i was waiting for that line RJ

[Cab911]

If you watch policeman vs fireman on youtube it pretty much explains where the tension comes from. Just Kidding

What it comes down to is that every profession(Fire, Police, AMR, or private sector) has jerks, or people that are **BLEEP****BLEEP****BLEEP****BLEEP**y. Those individuals create a bad reputation for the rest of the people that share that career field.

Hopefully the guy at the Gym has a little bit of a different view after talking with you Vicarious.

[...ViCaRiOuS...]

I think this guy hates people from cali in general. Cops and Firemen get paid a lot more that the NY guys, thats why he came out here. He was telling me that when I go out there to not talk fire talk to them because they get SO MUCH MORE fire that we do out here. What ever, I dont hold anything against anyone. He is cool with me, so maybe ill change his mind about firemen.

[chatterbox]

Californians are nice people for the most part. Why would he hate our guys even though lhe ives here. Plain silly.

[jude23]

I'm a fireman, but I spend a lot of time with cops, too. I think cops and firemen basically do the same job...but on opposite ends of the spectrum. When a cop gives a speeding ticket, he is trying to curtail dangerous activity before it causes a wreck...when the speeder crashes, the firemen are there to rescue him. When the fire engine goes to the schools, the kids all want to tell us a story about something that happened to them. When the cop goes to the schools, the kids all want to know if he has ever shot anyone. When a bad call goes down, we get to go back to the station with our crew...the cop gets to go back out on the streets by himself. Hate is a strong word, but I can see why some cops might be jealous of firemen...and I don't mean that with any disrespect.

[TaylorMade]

You make some good points jude23.

I have been doing this job for 25 years. The bottom line is that too many police officers have a bad attitude towards firemen.

We see them and smile. Many of them see us smile or wave, and they look away.

They think everyone is up to no good becuase they are exposed to that everyday.

I am glad I do what I do. But I am thankful for those who take on the challenge of policing our community.

I wish they relationship could get better. Especially with CHP.

[Shorttimer]

New on the board but not new on the job(26+years). I mix it up with cops alot at the FPMX races. They are pretty good people. I also meet lots in the bar where we hang out. All have been very cool. I think having something in common with them off duty and meeting their families helps out too. You are only talking about 1 guy at the gym. I'm talking about men and women from ALL law enforcement branches, cities, counties, states and feds. I actually have taken more crap from L.A. city guys because they are envious of L.A. county. I never got that either. It would take too long to post the crap I've seen and heard. Now most of what I have heard is from a few individuals. I do know many others who will admit the Rah Rah mentality of a few individuals is stupid.

[illdaddy]

WELCOME ABOARD SHORTTIMER!
As you can see by my avatar, I am not very short. LOL.

But Seriously,

I get along with all of my cop contacts. I think that Taylor made is right though, they do automatically think that everyone is up to no good.

As far as CHP goes. I have yet to like ANY chippy as much as I liked Poncherello. He was one cool cat.

What was the other guy's name?

[jude23]

Ponch and John...John Baker
I think Larry Wilcox (John) bought all the rights to the shows and Eric Estrada (Ponch) is selling timeshares somewhere.

[Shorttimer]

I hear lots of chippies say they don't ticket firemen but one of our Chaplains in a dept. vehicle got a ticket. I don't think the field level officers can make that decision anymore.

[maddog411]

The relationship definitely needs some improving. I have been pulled over 2x by CHP and they let me go both times.

Not all cops hate firemen like the NYPD guy says.

[sansoofireman]

Cops can't put anything on their cars because they then become a target, plain and simple. I am the son of a retired OC Sheriff and the nephew of a retired Anaheim fire captain. I have many reasons why I followed in my uncle's footsteps and not my Dad's. Regardless, we all deal with the cretins and impleebs of society, which makes us... BROS. Lest we forget...

palabra a tu madre

[Scuba]

You know, I truly believe this is more about jealousy then anything else. I am a firefighter and I am married to a cop. We have fun with each other all the time about who has the better job. The bottom line is we have better hours we get paid a little better, the public respect us more and wave to us more often. My wife totally agrees with me, however she loves what she does and openly admits she would not want to do what I do. I think most officers feel they deserve more respect from the public but by the nature of their jobs, where they are often thought of as the bad guys just don’t get it. I mean really when was the last time any of us thanked a cop for writing us a ticket.

The firemen Vs police parity on U-Tube is, in my opinion just making light of the ongoing jealousy the P.D. has for firefighters. We all know once we find out what gets under your skin we have to rub it in. For the most part I feel firefighters and cops on the west coast truly have a mutual respect for one another.

Scuba Out


Don’t Dive where it stinks

[jude23]

Nicely put, Scuba.

[chainsaw5vent]

most people offer up more 5 finger waves and teach their children to do the same. even the bad guys will dial 9-1-1 in order to get someone there to save their baby, child, mother who is in need of medical assistance. and after it is said and done, will say thank you for getting there so quickly.
as for the law guys, they're put into a hard place because they are needed to enforce the laws, lock up the bad guys, and try to maintain an orderly society for the rest of us to live in. if EVERYONE obeyed the laws, and followed proper safety procedures, most of us would not have jobs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03FQngxD33k
:D

[jude23]

Okay, the latest installment of fireman vs. policeman is up on youtube...check it out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7K2JdnaQBc#
It kind of goes along the Mac vs. PC commercial idea. They're kind of slow on the "bleep" so "viewer discretion is advised". Pretty funny.

[fatcobra]

I think this site says it all

http://policemanvsfireman.com/


enough said

[firemedicmatt]

LAPD and LA City Fire seem to have a lot of problems with one another. I have family on both departments and they tell me of some incidents that make City look pretty weak. We work very well with LASD, especially down south. I view cops as part of our extended family and I hope other FF's and PO's do the same.

[cheese]

We're lucky enough in Berdoo to work with a great bunch of cops. We always have a great time with them on calls and they come by the station all the time and are always welcome to a cup of coffee or just to use the heads. They help us out and we help them out. I do have and engineer that rags on them all the time by asking them the old question 'what to firemen and cops have in common?'. Always get's a laugh out of em.

[firemedic301]

Wooooooooord

[lvladder1]

There is a Nevada State Trooper that comes by the station just about every shift right around dinner time. His uncle is an old crusty engineer. He always offers up 5 bucks for dinner but I/we always hook him up. Maybe one day he'll return the favor if one of us accidently drives a little too fast on the freeway. :rolleyes:

[Red Hot Truckie]

Dont know if you guys seen it yet, but Policeman vs Fireman pt. 8 is up, and funny as fvck.

[Anytime04]

I hear the word jealously a lot when it comes to police officers and their relationship with firemen, however, in most cases I don’t find this to be true at all. To say they are jealous is to imply that they rather be firemen then policemen. I know enough police officers that are members to my gym that love the job they do. In any case, it’s “the cops are jealous of us” attitude alone that gets us the animosity from our counter parts. I’m not saying that their isn’t any jealousy, though I don’t want to fall under the fallacy of composition by saying all cops are jealous. The fact of the matter is firemen need to take just as much blame as the cops due. Firemen (not all firemen) tend to be prideful when it comes to their job and that in-turn can be misconstrued as pompous. Therefore we can only try and combat any misrepresentations by being amiable on all emergencies, as well as, stop saying that all police officers want to be firemen.